What adjustments can I make in my daily life to be a better local, regional or global citizen?

There are many things we can do to become a better citizen. We live in a multi racial country hence we have to learn to accept one another,understand different cultures of ethnic groups. The things we do affect the people around us therefore we have to think before we act. I can do my part by helping people when they’re in need. Following the rules set by the government such as not littering around. Offering help to people,be compassionate,respecting the property of others,accepting the different customs of religion. These adjustments can help to make the place we live in,better and filled with more compassion. #Weekly

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Heritage Trail

For Heritage Trail, I went to the Kranji War Memorial. It is located at Kranji. The War Memorial is dedicated to the men that died defending Singapore in the World War 2.

The Kranji War Cemetery consisted of the war cemetery , war memorial and also the state cemetery.

 

There is only two burial site in the state cemetery. It is the first and second Presidents of Singapore, Yusuf bin Ishak and Benjamin Henry Sheares.

Within the cemetery stands the Singapore Memorial. It represents 3 types of military,Air Force, Navy , Army bears the names of over 24,000 men and women that died defending Singapore during the war. Those people have no known grave. They were known to be either captured or missing. Their bodies were never found. However, they will be remembered for their courage and contributions to Singapore.

 

The Kranji War Cemetery is the final resting place of the soldiers that fought for Singapore during the First and Second World War. There are the British, Dutch and allies of Singapore during the World War.  From my research, I found out that there are more that 4,400 headstones,850 0f whom remain unidentified. The cemetery also contains 64 First World War burials and commemorations. The Cemetery used to be a hospital burial ground which eventually became a military cemetery after the war.

 

 

Here are some of the other photos I took during my trip to Kranji War Memorial…

 

Reflection: The Kranji War Memorial and War Cemetery is very important to Singaporeans like us. It reminds us constantly that we should not take our life for granted. Those men and women fought to defend Singapore during the war, sacrificing themselves to protect our country. We are here today because of them. We should always remember,honour them. I went to look and some of the graves and was really shocked to see some of the age of the soldiers (16,21). Even with the help from allies, we still fall to the Japanese. I thought a lot and asked myself how can I contribute to Singapore. Then, I realised the importance of National Service. Singapore is a small nation. Though we have some of the advanced technologies in military, we still lacked people. National Service allows Singaporeans to be equipped with a certain set of skills so that in times of emergency, every household will be able to protect ourselves,to deter against enemies.  We all want to protect our loved ones don’t we?  I also learn to cherish life more,cherishing every minute of being alive,cherishing our family. This trip has also make me feel more enthusiastic to protect my country. Looking at the memorial and graves gave me a sense of pride and responsibility. I wouldn’t thought that I would learn so much from this trip, I’m glad that I did it and hopefully many Singaporeans does.

 

 

 

 

Made in Singapore

Singapore invented quite a few things that I never knew or thought would be invented in Singapore! After doing my research on the things Singapore has invented, I find thumbdrive to be my favourite one.  The thumbdrive is very important to many people in the past as it stores data easily, has a lot of memory space and is also really small so people can bring it around easily. All you have to do is to plug it in a computer/laptop USB port and stores your data, it’s that easy! Pretty amazing how such a small device can do wonders.

Thumbdrive is created by a company named Trek Technology based in Singapore. In the past, people used things like floppy disk or CDs to store data. However, its memory space is limited so ThumbDrive was invented to meet the increasing demands of the people. ThumbDrive has larger memory space and is easy to carry around, that attracted a lot of people to buy,including myself. Technology will always advance and soon the ThumbDrive was not as popular as before but I will always remember how useful it was and how it had helped a generation to better store their data.

If I was a inventor, I would create a airplane that can fly on its own. A airplane that can detect any oncoming airplanes or threats. This way it can reduce the chances of planes being mysteriously lost in the air. When sensing danger, the plane is better prepared for it.

sources : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk , https://antergos.com/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/08/thumb-drive-e1317145079675.jpg

 

Global Voices

The story that I find rather interesting for me to talk about is written by Mong Palatino. The title is ” Why Did Facebook Remove a Post Criticizing Singapore Police “.  So why does this story calls out to me? I’m a Singaporean and this story is related to Singapore hence it concerns me. Just by reading the title makes me feel infuriated. Singapore Police’s job is to ensure the safety of the citizens. Such messages on criticizing the police will definitely be viral. I’m sure that applies to other countries too. By criticizing the police may potentially create an uproar among the readers as different people have their opinions on it. They will start to question the way the Police do their job. That is not the main issue. The main issue is how Soh Lung and Roy Ngerng got the attention of the police in the first place which eventually leads to their interrogation.

Teo Soh Lung is a civil rights lawyer and Roy Ngerng is a political activist. That alone is enough to get the attention of the citizens. They are active in questioning the system of Singapore which is why that got hold of the Singapore Police. The Police are to ensure the saftey of citizens. Once they think something may be threatening to the country, obviousy they try to stop it. That’s the case here with Soh Lung. She is already being ‘aimed’ by the police for her previous political activism. It’s no surprise for me that she will be check on by the police now and then, for her OWN actions. Soh Lung complained that when police commit a wrong, where do Singaporeans run to. She said that because she had a issue with the police (which I felt is her wrong) , she believe that she is right and the police is wrong.

In conclusion, I think that what Facebook did by removing her posts is right. Facebook is always on a look out for any terror-related activities. She have to be careful with what she is writing in her posts as it might get the attention of Facebook which will lead to the removal of the posts. We all have to careful what we write on social media. It reflects the personality off the person. Sometimes emotions take over and we write what we feel at the moment which often makes us regret. Think before you write is the way we should all do.

Source: https://globalvoices.org/2016/07/07/why-did-facebook-remove-a-post-criticizing-singapore-police/

 

What? We Kinda’ Caused the Haze?

Haze. It is mainly caused by the uncontrolled expansion of palm oil and paper production. Things such as palm oil and paper are important to human because we uses it. Hence, with the demands of the people comes the supply. Many palm oil and paper production use fire to clear the forest and that cause a tremendous damage to the environment.

Indonesia has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. The large amount of greenhouse gases released by the burning of forest have affected the atmosphere. Droughts happen more often with the dry land left behind after the burning.

Haze can be very harmful to human beings due to the pollutants in the air. It damages our respiratory system, making us more prone to respiratory problems. It also threatens the animals as their habitats are being destroyed.

So, what can we do to be a more responsible consumer/buyer? Firstly, when we are going to buy any wood-based product, we should find for products that are FSC certified or 100% recycled pulp and paper options. That way, we reduces the demand of paper as we can recycle them! Secondly, we can also use biodegradable plastic bags as it can be broken down more quickly than normal plastic bags which can be useful in promoting a more environmental friendly act.

Above are a few ways we can help to be a better consumer/shopper. It may look easy but we all have to do it to get the maximum benefit. #CA1 

sources for my research: http://hdwallpaperspretty.com/wp-content/gallery/natural-environment-images/environment%20(1).jpg   ,   https://webreathewhatwebuy.com/haze/

 

 

Worker writes

My favourite poetry is from the second Migrant Workers Poetry Competition, written by a construction worker, Mohar Khan. Personally, I really feel for Mohar. He came to Singapore to be a construction worker so that he could be able to support his family back home in Bangaladesh. I admire him as a person. Despite the circumstances he is in, he continue to work hard so to be able to support his family.  Living away from home is one of the hardest thing to do in my opinion. Without your family by your side, you feel lonely. In Mohar’s poetry,  ”Day after day, my labour, Has built this city layer by layer; That’s why I am an intoxicated lover of this place. Have I forgotten my home, my motherland? My wife abandoned to time ?My child, my family’s inheritor? No, I haven’t. ”  Mohar have helped to build Singapore by being a construction worker, I respect him for that too. However, his home, his country is Bangaladesh. The place where his family is at. His heart belongs to his homeland. That I really admire. Why is it so? Many people often forget their roots. I as a Singaporean, will always be a Singaporean, a proud Singaporean. I believe we should all remember where we belong, where we were raised. Mohar’s spirit is something we should all learn from. Hence, my favourite poem belongs to Mohar Khan. #CA1

Quotes Source : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/poetry-in-motion-migrant/2344714.html

Pictute source : https://poetrydisentangled.wordpress.com/

WHAT/WHERE TO EAT

Living in Singapore, it’s common to see many food centres,restaurants. They offer a variety of food as we are living in a multi-racial country. Here are some of my recommendated places to have your food.

 

1. IKEA RESTAURANT & CAFE

IKEA restaurant served breakfast,lunch and even dinner! It is well known for their Swedish meatballs ( $6/10 pieces of meatballs), chicken wings. IKEA restaurants is a cosy place for people to dine in,a perfect place for friends and families.

It also offers halal food such as their meatballs. Hence,it is a good place to bring along friends from different races!

 

IKEA’s branches

Address: IKEA @Tampines,  Tampines North Drive 2,528764

IKEA @Alexandra, 317 Alexandra Road, 159965

 

Source:   ikea.com/ms/en_SG/food-at-ikea/ikea-restaurant   

 

 

2. 18 CHEFS – social enterprise eatery

 source: eighteenchefs.com

18 chefs is founded by Benny Se Teo. Benny was a ex convict,he understands how difficult it is for ex convict to find a job hence he want to help. Benny opened 18 Chefs eatery and hire ex convicts. It gives them the opportunity to pick up new skills, be accepted by the society and earn their own living, which is something respectable.

 

18 Chefs is a affordable restaurant. It has student/NSmen meal which is more affordable thereore it is a good place for students to have their meal. The food is also halal. Food taste good,affordable.

Bukit Panjang Plaza

Business Hours
Monday to Sunday
11.00am to 10.30pm
(last order at 10.00pm)

1 Jelebu Road
#02-19
Singapore 677743

Telephone: 6767 0557

JCube Jurong East

Business Hours
Monday to Sunday
11.00am to 10.30pm
(last order at 10.00pm)

2 Jurong East Central 1
#02-13
Singapore 609711

Telephone: 6334 3606

Cathay Cineleisure Orchard

Business Hours
Sunday to Thursday
11.30am to 10.30pm
(last order at 10.00pm)

Friday, Saturday & Eve of Public Holiday
11.30am to 1.00am
(last order at 12.00am)

8 Grange Road
#04-02 (Next to Box Office)
Singapore 239695

Telephone: 6736 3800

 

3. GREENDOT – eco-friendly eatery

source: http://www.springtomorrow.com/2015/09/15/green-dot/

Greendot is a vegetarian eatery. It was set out to change the perspective of vegetarian food that was often labelled as “bland” , “boring” .

Greendot offers a wide variety of vegetarian food such as herbal noodle, tom yum, laksa, burgers, teas etc.

Their ingredients are also fresh and very healthy. If you are thinking of eating healthily,this is the place for you.

GREENDOT @ WESTGATE
	3 Gateway Drive Westgate #01-08 Singapore 4608532 +65 67105567 *No reservations allowed
	Daily: 11:00 – 22:00 *Last order at 21:00
GREENDOT @ PAYA LEBAR SQUARE
	60 Paya Lebar Road #02-15/16/17 Paya Lebar Square Singapore 409051 +65 67022221 *No Reservations Allowed
	Daily: 11:00 – 22:00 *Last order at 21:00